Wednesday's Worktable: Sneak Peak... and Sushi!

This is the week of a challenge reveal! In just a few days, on Friday, I get to show off what I've made for my Diamond Tessellations challenge. 

...That also happens to mean that my current worktable is covered with projects that I'm attempting to finish up in time. I actually have quite a bit to share--and I am debating doing a few separate posts to showcase them all--but that doesn't stop me from wanting to make just one more thing. I certainly haven't been lacking in ideas for this challenge! 

As a bit of a sneak peak, one of those projects involves these beads:

...and that's all I'm saying about it for now! You'll have to come back on Friday to see what I made. (How's that for incentive? Hah.)

But, just because I don't want this entry to be disappointing, I have one more thing to share. Here are the earrings that I finished using last Wednesday's sushi beads!

And here I am wearing them:

I hardly ever share pictures of myself, so there you go. Don't get used to it. ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! It's always fun to share what I'm working on--or, at least, hinting at it. See you on Friday, when I get to share all of my Diamond Tessellation creations!

Until then, have a lovely week everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable: A Tale of Migraines and... Sushi?

I've been battling a pretty nasty migraine for the last several days, so I don't really have much to show for this week. I've spent more time staring at the ceiling than doing any creating. Bleh.

Still, I'm definitely on the mend (yay!), so here's what I'm looking forward to working with the next time I'm able to sit down and bead:

Yep... those are whimsical silicone sushi beads. I have plans to make them into earrings--and, if I'm honest, probably a tassel necklace. I'm silly like that.

Something happy to look forward to. Hopefully I'm feeling up to playing soon. 

Thanks for stopping by today... Have a wonderful (hopefully migraine-free) day, everyone!

Rainy Day in May - Surprise Reveal! Woohoo!

Hello everyone!

I have another finished project to share... woohoo! I'm on a roll, getting things done and cleared off my beading table. It definitely feels good.

So, what am I showing today?

Well, frequent visitors to my blog might recognize this little mix:

That's right... It's what I shared for my Wednesday Worktable on May 7th. 

In case you missed that entry, I essentially gave myself a little mini-challenge to create a necklace using only beads from last month's Jesse James Mystery Bead Box. That includes both the beads seen above, and the beads seen below:

I am happy to report: I did it!

And without further ado... here it is! The piece that I'm calling my Rainy Day in May necklace!

Some features of this necklace: 

• The tassel design is actually asymmetrical... most of the tassel strands are different, with very few repeats.
• The necklace chain is also asymmetrical... the length of chain is different between each beaded section.
• Everything is from the Mystery Bead Box except for the chain, the seed beads (which were still from Jesse James Beads), and the tassel's bead cap.

I am really happy with how this design turned out. It's been awhile since I've made a strung tassel like this one, and it was fun revisiting this style. I also liked how everything looks like it's flowing... the asymmetrical design really adds to the organic, falling-rain feeling.

So, there you go. Thanks for stopping by today. See you on Wednesday!

Until then, have a wonderful day, everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable: Another Show-and-Tell!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Remember these beads that I shared two weeks ago? 

They were leftovers from my Farewell to Joanns challenge, and I hinted that I might be working on a tassel necklace with them.

Well, I'm happy to announce: the necklace is done. Woo-hoo! And today, I get to show off the final piece. I figured you wouldn't mind. :)

Here it is, in all of its tassel-y goodness:

The Joanns beads include: the focal bead, and the bottom three bead styles in the tassel. Namely, the gold 8mm rounds, the red stone discs, and the 10mm blue shell.

The other beads from my stash include: three styles of Czech glass and golden 4mm spacers.

I have honestly been wanting to make this kind of necklace with these beads ever since I saw the focal bead... it just lends itself so well to this style. It was really nice to finally sit down and just do it.

So, ta-da! Another project on my bead table that is finished. It feels good.

I'm also almost done the necklace from last week's worktable, the one that I'm calling the Rainy Day in May necklace. I hope to show that one off soon, too.

...Did I mention that it feels good to finish things? Heehee. 

Anyway, thanks for stopping by today... have a wonderful day, everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable: Rainy Day in May

The last few weeks have been pretty soppy wet here in Ohio. So, I thought: why not make jewelry based on it?

...Especially since last month's Mystery Bead Box from Jesse James Beads was rainy-day themed, and included such fun things as this mix:

It's a super fun collection of sizes and colors, and I thought it would be fun to do a little mini-challenge: make a necklace only using this mix, and maybe some of the other components in the Mystery Bead Box. (Well, and findings from my stash. Just to be super technical.)

Here is what it looks like, all poured out:

And here is one of the other items from the box, just asking to be part of the project:

So, that's what's on my table today! Playing around with white and blue beads of different shapes and sizes, and being inspired by rain.

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone! And for those of you also in soppy wet areas: stay dry! :)

Wonder and Whimsy May 2025 Challenge: Diamond Tessellations

Happy May, everyone!

I am really, really excited about the challenge I have chosen for this month. 

The inspiration for it was rather... unconventional. So! To introduce this challenge, let me tell you a story. 

Last year was a very difficult year for me, physically. It culminated in surgery... and I am happy to announce that said surgery was very, very successful. I am healed, and getting my energy back. Every day, I am becoming more and more aware of how much things fell into disrepair last year--both around the house, and in regards to my health habits.

So, why am I telling you this? 

Well, to combat this entropy, I recently did something that I have never done before: I signed up for a gym membership. The local YMCA, to be precise. One of my friends goes there regularly, and we're going together a few times a week.

What does this have to do with jewelry? Well, last week, I finished my workout first, and was waiting for my friend to finish hers. I was sitting in the lobby area, thinking about May's challenge, and decided to see if I could find anything to inspire me.

...And then I saw it. 

The chairs.

Okay, hear me out.

Those chairs have the most mesmerizing diamond tessellation pattern.

So much so, that I spent several minutes taking pictures of them. Thankfully I was the only one in the lobby at the time--otherwise, I might have felt quite silly!

So, that's my challenge this month: make jewelry inspired by these diamond tessellations.

I have so many ideas. Diamond shaped beads are always fun to play with, and I'm already plotting on different techniques to use. Heh. We'll see if any of these ideas actually turn out... Come back on Friday, May 30th to see if my experiments work.

Thanks so much for stopping by today... Happy May, everyone!